Rib belt



y 30, 1957 c. A. WILTROUT 2,800,902

RIB BELT Filed NOV. 9, 1953 INVENTOR I Z MWEA ATTORNEY United StatesPatent 0 This invention relates to an improvement in rib belts anddealsi particularly with a belt designed to encircle thebody justbeneath the arms to hold the ribs in proper relation afterone or moreribs have been broken or the ribimuscles strained.

The breaking of ribs or, and straining of rib muscles arejrelativelycommonplace accidents. Under usual circumstances the ribs will heal andthe muscles will heal properly if they are held in the proper positionover a period .of time. In the past itjhas been usual practice for thedoctor treating a patient with broken ribsto apply adhesive tape overthe rib area to hold the ribs in a set position during the healingoperation. This adhesive tape often causes severe skin irritation and insome instances'ithe irritation caused by the tape is more painful to thepatient than th'ebroken rib or strained muscle.

,A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a beltwhich is particularly designed to encircle the chest. Mean's areprovidedfortightening this belt so that the ribs will be held in proper positionduring healing. The belt is mainly constructed of a fabric which willnot irritate the skin even though the belt remains in place for aperiod'of several days.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a belt ofthe type described having a resilient insert therein. This insertnormally extends from top 'to bottom of the belt in substantialalignment therewith or intermediatethe ends thereof and inthe portion ofthe belt designed to overlie the back of the patient. Thisresilien't'insert is designed'to permit the belt to snugly fit'about the'chest'and definitely prevents thebunching or bulging of the belt. Whenthis resilient insert isnot present it is virtually impossible to securethe belt in such a manner that it will rernain flat against the bodywhile being worn. .The normal taper of the-body makes it virtuallyimpossible to dravv'the belt properly about the body even thoughvertically spaced tightening elements are pfov'idedi "-However, byproviding the resilient insert in the belt at the point described theupper portion ofthe belt may expa'ndmore than'the lowerportion so thatthe belt will fit properly regardless of the degree oftaper'of thisportion ofthe body.

' A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision ofa' belt of the type described having a pair of straps secured to'the'belt on opposite sides'of the resilient insert; .These' belts aresupported to cross upon the backof'the wearer and to extend over theshoulders, the ends of the belt being secured through the frontportionof the belt on opposite'sides of the belt tightening. B'ymounting the' supporting straps in'this position the straps tend tocontract the resilient portion of the belt.

Afurther featureof the present invention resides in the provisionbf aseries of vertically spaced belt tightening elements which are locatedin the front of the belt by means of which the belt may be drawn tightabout the body. These belt tightening means are located in such a mannerthat the belt can be easily tightened by the patient. T

-tween =the-adjacent ends of the .strips 10 and.11,,and.-is securedthereto by binding. tapes such as 13.:and 14. ;The elastic section 12 isin that portion of .the belt -A which or other fabric material.

An added feature of the present invention lies in the provision of abelt designed to encircle the body and which may be provided with a cutaway portion in-the upper edge thereof to fit beneath the bust portionofa female body. The sides and the rear of the belt vare of full height.

These and other objects and novel features will be more clearly andfully set forth in the following specifi cation and claims. a

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

Figure lis'a diagrammaticview of the belt in flat condition. I. p 1

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the belt encircling the chest ofa male patient. Figure 3 is a rear view. of the belt applied to thebody.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the belt-as;it is constructed to fitthe female body.

Figure 5 is a front'elevational view of the belt applied to a femalebody, the rear view of the belt being similar to-Figure'3. 1

The belt A illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, of the drawings ispa'rticularly designed to encircle the chest of a male; The beltincludes two elongated strips 10 and 11', in'the same plane ofalignment, of suitable webbing The material forming the portions 10 and11 of the belt is" relatively nonresilient but the materialis soft andflexible so asv not to irritate-the portion of the body over which itextends.

A 'sectionof-ela-stic or resilient material 12 is interposedsubstantially in the same plane of alignment.;be-

is'designedtooverlie the back of .thezbody. A series of short fabricstraps. 15iare secured to the belt section 10at a point spaced fromtheend 16 thereof.

StrapslS are shown connected .to'the beltsection .10 by 'rows ofstitching 17. f The ends of the straps 15 'most 'remote from the end 16:of. the .beltsection 10 are' anchored toth'e belt section bly-atape'strip 19. which .ex-

tends transversely of the portion 10 or vertically-.onthe Each of thestraps 17 supports a buckle element 20. These buckle elements mayi'be ofany suitabletypeand are designed to engage a corresponding strap on .theother end of the beltand to hold 'itin adjusted position;

A series of straps "21': are4seci1red to the. forward or free endportion'of beltzsection" 11 at a. point in .spaced "relationto the end22' of the belt; Rectangular areas of stitching 23 anchor the straps121to" the belt section 11;- The straps 21 extend substantially :beyondthe'end 22 of the" belt so as toioverl'apathe other endtof the. beltin'actual operationi 'By having the'straps 15 and 21 anchored to thebelt at point-s spaced fromthe ends 'of the -belt, it 'is'possible'tohave the belt eiitirely encircleathe body. so that the ends 16 and 22are in overlappinglrel'ati'on. These belt ends are preferably providedwith a: binding tape'to preventthe tape'from fraying and to reinforce.the .same.

A shoulder strap 24 isfsecured .to the belt portion 10 at a point"adjacent to the tapeistrip"131connecting' the at an angle'tothe"vertical so as to cross the strap '24,

This particular arrangement of cross straps is of particular advantagein the specific arrangement illustrated as the straps are anchored atopposite sides of the elastic portion '12 and as anystretching 'of theresilient center portion 12 tends to exert a pull upon'the'st'rap s 24and 27.

A short strap 30fis secur'ed in substantially 'vertical relation uponthe belt sectio n 11. fIhe strap 3011i} 'anchored by stitching, or othersuitable means jat' its a lower end 31. A buckle 32, or other suitablebelt holding means, is freely supported upon thefupper edge 'of thestrap. 30. so that this strap may-be secured to the shoulder A secondstrap 33 is supported upon the belt section '10 andis anchored at itslower end as indicated at 34. The strap 33 supports at its upper end abuckle 35 of any suitable type to engageand holdthe shoulder strap Inuse the bjeltlis worn as illustratedin Figures 2 and '3 of the drawings.The body of the belt is placed to encircle the chest justIbeneath thearms and the belt is thentightened by engaging the series of straps 21in the buckles 20 supported by the straps 15. These belts 21 may bedrawn up to apply the necessary tension against the body to' hold theribs and rib muscles in their proper place. As the straps 21 aretightened the elastic center portion stretches somewhat to cause thebelt to conform with the shape of the body. Under usual circumstancesthe upper portion of the belt will have to expand more than the lowerportion thereof and as a result the belt is of greater circumference atthe top than at the bottom after it has been tightened.

The shoulder straps 24 and 27 are next placed over 'the shoulders andare secured to the cooperable buckles '32 and 35 so as to prevent thebelt from moving downwardly. The straps thus prevent the belt fromslipping down as the belt -would otherwise tend to do when encircling abody which is smaller around the waistline than around the chest.

When the belt'is positioned as described the elastic portion 12 willpermit the belt to expand and contract tosoine extent but will resistexpansion. 'Any expansion of the elastic section 12 of the belt exerts apull upon 'the shoulder straps 24 and'27 and accordingly holding thebelt from sliding downwardly. In practice it has been found that theelastic center section thereby places some slight tension upon theshoulder straps, this tension being 'insuflicient' to irritate the skinor t'o'cause discomfort.

In Figures 4 and of the drawings I disclose a modified form of belt Bwhich is designed to fit about the female figure. In general the belt Bissimilar to the belt A but the'forwardportion of the belt is cut downsomewhat to fit beneath. the busts of the female figure.

The belt B includes a belt section 36, and a belt section 37 in the sameplane of alignment and which are formed of webbing, belting, or otherfabric materiahwhich is soft and flexible .but is relatively inelastic.A central connecting portion 39 inalignrnent with the 'belt sections 736 and 37 is provided at the center of the belt which down the belt toapproximately one-half its normal height. The notches 42 and 43 aredefined by a substantially S-shaped curve, the center portion of whichextends horizontally approximately midway between the upper and loweredges of the belt sections 36 and 37.

A pair of short straps 44 are secured in horizontal parallel relation tothe belt section at a point spaced from the end, thereof by means of ananchoring tape 45.

Therbelts 44 support buckles 46 which are designed'to neath the arms inthe rib area including in combination a pair of relatively non-resilientsections, a resilient belt 'pull thereupon.

4 engage and hold a cooperable strap at the other end of the belt.

A pair of strips of fabric tape or other suitable material for-ming beltend 47 are anchored at their one end to the belt section 37 at a pointspaced from the forward portion'or free end of the belt section 37.These belts 47 are designed for engagement into the buckles 46, at theforward portion or free end of belt section 36, so as to tighten thebelt about the chest portion of the body as is best illustrated inFigure 5 of the drawings.

A shoulder strap 49 is anchored to the belt portion 36 near the centralelastic section 39 of the belt. The strap 49 is so secured as to'extendupwardly diagonally across the centerv of the back. A similar shoulderstrap 50 is the: shoulders of the wearer,

As also indicated in Figure 4 of the drawings'a pair of short straps 51and 52 are anchored to the belt sections 37 and 36 respectively near thenotches 43 and 42 therein. The strap 51 is designed to engage the end'ofthe shoulder strap 49 andis provided with a buckle 53 at its upper endfor'this purpose. The strap 52 is provided with a similar buckle 54 toengage the shoulder strap 50 and to hold the belt at a properelevation."

We have found that the rib belts are extremely affective for theirpurpose, holding the ribs and rib muscles in proper position so thattheycan mend. The belt also fits snugly against the body and is heldfrom wrinkling by the elastic insert portion in the back of the belt.

The shoulder straps fasten in the'mannerdescribed and have an unusualeffect, the stretching of the elastic portion also tending to tightenthese belts and to exert a In accordance with the patent statutes I havedescribed the'principles of construction and operation of my rib beltand while I have endeavored to setforth the best embodiment thereof Idesire to have itunderstood that obvious changes may be made within thescope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of myinvention. a

I claimi I 7 1. A completely flexible rib belt for broken ribs andstrained muscles designed to encircle the body just besection'interposedbetween said relatively non-resilient belt sections and securing thenon-resilient sections together in the same plane of alignment,adjustable means at opposite ends of the belt for tightening the beltabout the body of the wearer, crossed shoulder strap means shoulderstrap means and hold the rib belt in the rib' area just beneath thearms. 1

w 2. A flexible rib belt for broken ribs and strained muscles designedto encircle the body just beneath the arms in the rib area including incombination a pair of relatively non-resilient sections, a resilientbelt section interposed between said relatively non-resilient sectionsand connecting the same in substantially the. same plane of alignment, aseries of vertically. spaced belt tightening means secured to the endsof the'relatively non-resilient sections for tightening the belt. inbody encircling positidnjust'beneath the arms in the rib area, andcrossed neath the arms in the rib area including in combination a pairof relatively non-resilient sections, a resilient belt 5. sectioninterposed between said relatively non-resilient sections and connectingthe same in substantially the same plane of alignment, adjustableshoulder straps secured to said relatively non-resilient sectionsclosely adjacent said resilient belt section and designed to extend overthe shoulders of the wearer, and a series of vertically spaced belttightening means secured to the ends of the relatively non-resilientsections by means of which the belt may be tightened in body encirclingposition just beneath the arms in the rib area.

4. A completely flexible rib belt for broken ribs and strained musclesdesigned to encircle the body just beneath the arms in the rib areaincluding in combination a pair of relatively non-resilient sections, aresilient belt section interposed between said relatively non-resilientsections and connecting the same in substantially the same plane ofalignment, a series of vertically spaced belt tightening means securedto the ends of the relatively non-resilient sections by means of whichthe belt may be tightened in body encircling position just beneath thearms in the rib area, a pair of shoulder straps secured to therelatively non-resilient sections of the belt closely adjacent theresilient section, said straps being secured to extend upwardly incrossed relation from the back portion of the belt, and strap connectingmeans for securing said straps to the forward portion of the beltadjacent said series of vertically spaced belt tightening means.

5. A completely flexible rib belt for broken ribs and strained musclesdesigned to encircle the body just beneath the arms in the rib areaincluding in combination a pair of elongated relatively nonresilientsections secured in substantial linear alignment, a relatively resilientsection between said relatively nonresilient sections and secured ateach end thereto, a series of vertically spaced straps secured to oneend of the belt portion thus formed, a series of vertically spaced beltstrap securing means secured near the other end of the portion of thebelt thus formed, said vertically spaced straps and belt strap securingmeans being anchored to the forward ends of said relatively nonresilientsections at a point spaced from the extreme forward ends thereof, eachend of said belt portions being provided with notches adapted tounderlie the busts of a female figure, and shoulder strap means forholding the rib belt in the rib area just beneath the arms withoutbinding a bust area.

6. A completely flexible rib belt for broken ribs and strained musclesdesigned to encircle the body just beneath the arms in the rib areaincluding in combination a pair of elongated nonresilient belt sectionsin substantial linear alignment, a relatively resilient section betweensaid first named pair of belt sections and securing the same together, aseries of vertically spaced straps secured to one of said relativelynonresilient sections at a point spaced from the end thereof andextending beyond the end thereof, a series of vertically spaced strapanchoring means secured to the other of said relatively nonresilientsections near the end thereof, and shoulder straps secured to saidnonresilient sections closely adjacent to the connection thereof withthe relatively resilient section, and fastening means for adjustablysecuring said straps to the forward portion of the belt.

7. The construction described in claim 6 and in which the shoulderstraps are secured in upwardly inclined relation so that said strapswill cross and support said belt sections at points closely adjacentsaid resilient section at each back end thereof and at pointsintermediate the edges of the belt sections at the forward ends thereof.

8. The construction described in claim 7 and in which the ends of therelatively nonresilient sections of the belt are notched along theirupper edge so that the forward ends of the nonresilient sections aresubstantially narrower than the remainder of the belt.

9. A flexible rib belt for broken ribs and strained muscles beingdesigned to encircle the body in close tight fitting relationship to therib area just beneath the arms of a female figure, said belt comprisinga pair of belt sections adapted to extend about each rib section of thebody, each said belt section having free end sections which are mostremote from one another and the center of the flexible rib belt, eachend portion having notches which cut down the end portions of the beltto approximately one-half their normal height, strip means secured inparallel relationship at a point spaced from the free end portion of onebelt end for fastening the one belt end portion to the other belt endportion, buckle means attached in parallel relationship at a pointspaced from the free end portion of the other belt end for engagementwith said strip means to secure the belt firmly about a female chest inclose tight fitting relationship to the rib area just beneath the armsand the said notches fitting just beneath the busts of the femalefigure, and adjustable shoulder strap means for holding the rib beltclosely beneath the arms without binding the bust area.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS817,653 Meyer Apr. 10, 1906 1,477,583 Montgomery Dec. 18, 1923 1,768,223Von Halle June 24, 1930 2,596,765 Dubner May 13, 1952 2,662,522 MullerDec. 15, 1953

